The Fire of the Dragomir
by MrsOzera
Summary: Set After Last Sacrifice. When Queen Vasilisa Dragomir gets Marked, her whole world gets turned upside down. Through trusting in Nyx and fighting the evil of this world, Lissa uncovers the strength within herself and the fire she never thought she had. (Contains spoilers from Vampire Academy & House of Night series). (I do NOT own the cover image - courtesy of Google Images)
1. Chapter 1

Chapter One

I woke up to the sound of a pulse in my own ears. A slight pressure had also been building up behind my eyes which I had not been too unfamiliar with lately.

The last couple of days had been extremely stressful for me, what with me being crowned as queen of the whole Moroi race, Rose and I suddenly having to deal with our bond being gone, and Adrian's constant sulking. I knew that he was going through a difficult time getting over Rose, and of course I sympathized with him, but since he didn't have the courage of facing _her _anymore, he seemed to be taking the liberty of following me around with a bottle of alcohol when Rose wasn't there, which had started to become slightly aggravating.

I sat up in bed, feeling the sudden rush to my head whch signalled the beginning to my now daily headache that only seemed to start when I decided to lift my head from the pillow. I squeezed my eyes shut, willing the pain to disappear.

Suddenly I felt a soft hand on my bare arms. _Christian. _I shivered.

"Liss?" I heard his husky voice next to mine, and I could tell he had just woken up, "are you alright?"

Hearing that soft, caring voice instantly made my heart beat faster and a reluctant smile spread across my face.

"I'm fine," I turned to face him, and planted a tiny kiss on his forehead, "don't you worry about me."

I knew Christian was still concerned about the events that had happened to me on the day I was proclaimed queen. Seeing Rose shot and fall to the ground had probably been the most horrible experience in my life, one I feared I would never properly recover from, even though she had survived. Of course, I knew that guardians had to deal with near-death experiences and fighting death all the time, but it was still too painful to deal with the fact that Rose could have been _dead_. And for good this time.

"You need to rest." Christian told me and pushed himself up by his elbows. His black hair fell forward, and he flicked it back to stop it from falling in his eyes. I reached forward and ran my fingers through his silky, soft hair which I so loved.

"I can't sleep," I murmured as my fingers continued to tease his hair strands, "I just haven't been feeling very well recently, I keep getting headaches and I've got this annoying cough." I made a face.

Christian's face softened and he took hold of my hand, rubbing soft circles over my fingers and I sighed in bliss.

"This week has been really hard on you." He didn't formulate it as a question, but I nodded and leaned my head on his chest as his arm went around my shoulder. For just one moment I closed my eyes and let Christian's faith and love in me wash over my worries and despair. After our silent moment ended, I sighed and quickly slipped out of Christian's arm.

"I've got some queenly duties to pursue," I told him with a grimace as I slid out of my nightgown, "Today is the day I need to choose another royal advisor."

I was _really _not looking forward to that. In my heart, Rose would forever and always be my true consultant, but as a dhampir - and a full-fledged_ guardian_ at that - Rose didn't qualify at taking the job that only a royal could.

It took me a while to get dressed. For most of my life, dressing up to impress was a big part of my life. I dealt with royals on an almost daily basis, but now I was _queen_,and that was a whole new territory, even for someone like me, who had been brought up in this world. In that split second, I suddenly envied Rose and her liberty of doing things _her _way.

The last five days had been mostly protocol, meeting up with different royal families, and attending parties in honor of my coronation, but today, the real work began. I carefully picked out a royal blue pencil skirt which hugged my narrow hips along with a short-sleeved white silk shirt, which I adorned with a silver pendant necklace which held a small white pearl on the end. I grabbed my brush from the dressing table and combed out the tangles in my platinum blond hair, put on a thin coat of mascara and dabbed on a bit of cherry lipgloss. I then paused, and just stared at the white-gold crown that lay on a red velvet cushion on the table. It had beautiful shining emeralds and diamonds weaved into it, and sparkled at every slight turn. Was I expected to wear it? Maybe if I just ignored the crown, then all the responsibilities that came along with it would just fade away.

In the end, I decided to wear it after all, and pushed it gingerly up into my hair, until it nestled safely between my hair.

I felt as Christian came up from behind me and put his arms around my waist, holding tight.

"You look beautiful." He murmured into my ear and I felt a surge of confidence blossom up in my heart. My day already felt a whole lot better.

"Thank you." I whispered back, and with my head held high, I walked over to the windows, and with both of my hands pushed the curtains aside, "Let's get this day over with."

Walking steadily down the palace's elaborate corridor, Christian fall into step behind me and he reached over and gently held onto my hand.

Even after five days, I still wasn't used to every person in the hallways bowing and curtseying to me. At times, I even heard some of the staff whisper "Queen Dragomir" as I passed. I nodded respectfully back at them and then hurried toward the palace's parlor where I was supposed to conduct most of the royal businesses from now on. This was also the place where Queen Tatiana had - before her death - proposed an offer about me attending Lehigh University. Her death had been quite a shock for me - along with the whole Moroi race - and seeing the parlor empty and deprived of her presence still seemed to unsettle me. What unnerved me even more though, was that the beautiful armchair that was set in the middle of the circular room was prepared for _me_.

As I entered, all the guardians in the room, along with the dhampirs that took up stealthy positions beside the open archway that led to the parlor, bowed to me.

I smiled graciously at all of them in turn and they all rose in unison. That's when I acknowledged two familiar faces that were already in the room; they were sitting on the small love seat that was placed next to the armchair, and rose together as I arrived. Rose was one of them, looking incredibly lethal in her new black and white guardian attire, with her silver stake hooked firmly in the belt at her waist.

"Sydney?" My small smile turned into a genuine grin as I took in the other girl, with her dark blonde hair and golden lily tattoo that rested permanently on her cheek.

Rose had filled me in on Sydney's role in her major plan and I had begun to find myself growing fond of the young Alchemist. I quickly checked whether any of her superiors were around and gave Sydney a quick one-armed hug. Alchemist's weren't all too fond of their kind being too intimate with our race and I definitely didn't want to get her in any more trouble than she already was.

"Your Majesty." She replied stiffly, pulling out of the hug almost immediately, and looking slightly uncomfortable.

"Please," I said, "no need for such formalities. What are you doing here?" I asked curiously.

"I am going to be returning home soon," she replied, and her smile suddenly dropped, as if the idea of where ever she was returning to wasn't too pleasant. "I just wanted to say my goodbyes formally. I've already said bye to Rose," she indicated over to my best friend who openly grinned back at her, "but I thought it would only be polite to do the same to you."

"Thank you for everything that you have done for us." I replied kindly, genuinely meaning the words that came out of my mouth. "I don't think Rose could have managed half of what she did without you."

Sydney smiled tentatively, "I'm glad I could help."

I knew she meant the words, but I also knew that she was terrified of her Alchemist superiors and therefore couldn't properly accept my gratitude.

"Just know that you are welcome to stay at the Royal Court whenever you wish. And if there's anything you need us to do, just ask." I smiled at her.

"Thanks," she replied again, "I think I've got everything I need at the moment, though."

"Let me at least walk you out," I offered, "I've still got a lot of business to conduct today, but it shouldn't take too long."

Rose and Sydney both smiled sympathetically at me as I mentioned my businesses. They both knew and understood my uneasiness and anxiety at being queen.

_Not that it changes anything, _I thought bitterly to myself.

We moved toward the main doors that led directly from the parlor to the outside terrain. Two guardians that were lining the walls immediately followed suit and me, Rose, Sydney and Christian all began walking.

"Liss, you are okay, aren't you?" Rose whispered over to me, a mixture of concern and worry filling her voice, "I'm always here for you. Always by your side."

"I know you are." I replied, and pushed open the double doors into a beautiful Pennsylvanian sunset. Since our vampiric schedule ran nocturnally, the beginning of our 'day' was what regular humans would have considered evening.

Court had definitely cleared out in the last couple of days. Right after the coronation, a chaos of people broke out, and crowds of people had been shouting my name for a full two days, all caught up in the excitement of a new queen being elected. Some people were especially passionate, because I had been the youngest queen in Moroi history since Alexandra who had lived centuries before me. My age had created a major division between the Moroi and their opinions, and whilst most of the Moroi were glad that I was their new ruler, some had been objecting profusely, and even publicly at times, which just brought upon me an even bigger feeling of insecurity. Today, thankfully, there were few people milling around, and only a handful turned to stare at my approach.

We all walked in silence for a while, and as we finally approached the main Court gate, Sydney turned to face all of us.

"Thank you for you hospitality, and good luck with your duties," She smiled at both me and Rose, and gave me a quick curtsey.

We watched as she ran off towards a black idling car, which had already honked once to grab Sydney's attention. As she threw her head over her shoulder one last time, she suddenly stopped her pace and stared behind us.

I turned around, puzzled, and suddenly there _he _was. Of course, I had no idea who _he _was exactly; I had certainly never seen his face in my life. He had thick, curly brown hair that hung down both sides of his face, and piercing green eyes that seemed to look right through me. The most peculiar thing, however, was the sapphire crescent shaped moon that was situated on his forehead, along with some other designs that flourished around it.

I could hear Sydney's intake in breath, but before I had any chance to turn around and ask whether she knew this stranger, _he _leaned forward, with one finger outstretched and in a loud, commanding voice filled with power, said:

"_Vasilisa Sabina Rhea Dragomir! Night has chosen thee: thy death will be thy birth. Night calls to thee, hearken to Her sweet voice .Your destiny awaits you at the House of Night!"_

I opened my mouth in surprise, and was about to address this man, when suddenly a white spark emerged from his pointing fingertip, blinding me and burning my forehead. Sinking to my knees in pain, I wrapped my hands across my face and let myself fall to the ground as I screamed and instantly blacked out.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter Two

I hear my pulse.

"_Queen Vasilisa."_

"_She seems to be waking up."_

"_Dear Lord, look at her forehead!"_

The room seemed to be becoming more audible with every passing second, and I noted with great relief that the burning pain on my forehead was gone. I felt warm hands wrap around my wrists as they dragged me into a sitting position. Blinking away the last of my blurry vision, I saw Christian's concerned face coming into focus.

"Where...where am I?" I managed to mumble weakly.

"In the Court's infirmary," I saw Christian's grimace as he added, "Sydney and Rose are in the room next door speaking with the Alchemists." I looked around the room and noted that all the walls were bare and white. I winced as the bright light that shone overhead the bed stung my eyes. Had I always been so sensitive to even Moroi-friendly light?

I leaned forward as a horrible, wet cough escaped my lips and I had to bend over as I almost choked on my saliva. About three guardians rushed forward at that, each one laying a reassuring hand on me.

"Please don't worry yourselves, I'm fine," I meekly said and then added, "The Alchemists? I thought Sydney had to leave today."

"The situation is a little more serious than that," Christian said hesitantly, "apparently there has been a lot going on that the Alchemists have been hiding, even from _us._ They're trying to organize someone to come over and help you."

"Help me?" I asked him, puzzled, "Christian, what's going on?"

But I never got the hear his reply, because just at that moment, both Rose and Sydney entered the room, with an older woman following.

She was gorgeous. Absolutely, utterly gorgeous. Her raven black hair fell in loose curls down past her waist, and her coral blue eyes seemed to sparkle with life. Even the way she floated into the room was elegant and precise. However, it was the sapphire-colored crescent moon on her forehead that drew my attention, and took my breath away. Along with it there seemed to be an adornment of other marks framing her forehead and cheekbones, shaped like waves crashing against a shoreline. She seemed to radiate an authority unlike anyone else, and I knew for certain that if the Moroi wouldn't have had a monarchy, all the guardians present would have sank to their knees in awe. It also seemed as though my headache had miraculously gone away, and I stopped feeling the urge to cough.

"Your Majesty," the woman stepped forward and smiled politely, showing a perfect, but slightly sharp-looking set of white teeth. The lack of fangs told me that this woman was no Moroi.

I must have looked extremely confused, because Rose suddenly stepped into my line of vision, "This is high Priestess Larae, from the Youngstown House of Night."

I sat up a little straighter, and tried to not let my uncertainty show, "Welcome to the Moroi Court. How may I help you?"

Larae blinked at me for one second, and lightly began to giggle, "Your Majesty, I have not come here for your help. I am here to assist _you._"

"Excuse me, h-high Priestess," I stuttered over the unfamiliar title, "I don't think I understand what you are getting at."

That was when Sydney stepped forward, looking extremely uncomfortable and nervous.

"Your Grace," she curtsied slightly before continuing on, "in our years of research, whilst trying to find out the formula for turning lead into gold, we Alchemists discovered the existence of the Moroi race, along with the dhampirs and the undead Strigoi." She winced slightly as she said the last word, no doubt remembering what had happened when she assisted Rose not even a few weeks ago.

"It appears that the Moroi and Strigoi weren't the only type of vampires that my kind had found in their years of extensive searching. They also found the vampyres of the Houses of Night."

Silence fell. In the meantime, Larae had been looking around extremely curiously, staring at each of us in turn with wonder.

"You don't have any fangs," I stated the obvious, eyeing her curiously, "you don't seem to be a vampire. How would you feed for blood?"

"Don't worry, our nails and teeth are sharp enough to draw blood." I recalled how sharp her teeth had appeared when she had first smiled upon entering, "And we don't exactly need blood to survive, although it does give us strength and energy. We are created by our Goddess Nyx, who has given us these powers and abilities as no other."

Sydney promptly ignored her - and I recalled hearing that all Alchemists seemed to be quite religious - and resumed her explanation, "Vampyres aren't created by offspring. When a human teenager has a certain hormone in their bodies, this triggers them to become the target of a specific Tracker, like the man you encountered yesterday, and Marked with the outline of a blue crescent shaped moon on their foreheads. This indicates that the person has become a fledgling, until in four years, they complete the Change into an adult vampyre." Sydney spoke very brusque and factual, seeming to feel more comforted by scientific facts rather than strange phenomena.

"It appears that the Alchemists had not only struck up a deal with the Moroi, but with the High vampyre Council as well, promising to keep them secret from humans. Neither us nor they knew anything about each other as the Alchemists kept doing their jobs so well." Rose added bitterly, staring Sydney down.

"It wasn't a necessary piece of information we had to share with the Moroi government," Sydney snapped back, "Both races seem to want to keep away from any type of society, so it would seem unlikely for them to ever really interact. Besides, until now we never even knew it was possible for anyone but a human to be Marked. What's the point of becoming a vampyre if you're already a vampire?"

Rose looked as though she had some witty comeback on the tip of her tongue, no doubt wanting to say something about the absurd statement Sydney just made, but fell quiet instead for a change.

I didn't know what to say. This was all too overwhelming for me and I wasn't able to digest all the information thrown at me.

"Also..." Sydney began awkwardly, looking as though she would have rather been anywhere but here at that moment, "There is a fairly large chance that any fledgling doesn't manage to complete the Change."

Dread curled itself around my stomach, clenching tightly, and I swallowed against the sudden lump in my throat.

_Be calm, Lissa, _I mentally told myself over and over in my mind.

"What happens then?" I however could only bring out my question as a whisper.

"Your Majesty, there is quite a high chance you will not survive this Change, passing on to the Otherworld, to our goddess Nyx." Larae's voice floated over to me from where she stood, with a look of pure sympathy on her face.

My whole world began to tilt, and I had difficulty breathing. I felt Christian's warm hand on mine a few moments later, but I couldn't even find the strength within me to squeeze his hand back as I usually did.

"Shh..." he whispered into my ear, his voice filled with love and warmth, "everything will be okay, Liss, everything will be okay."

That's when everyone in the room seemed to want to move towards me, possibly to comfort me, or to give me some more agonizing details, but Christian promptly cut them off.

"Can't you guys all see that Lissa needs some time to take this in?" he said forcefully, facing the others, while physically shielding my body with his own "She's had to go through a lot recently, and now you tell her she might be in danger of dying!"

I shook my head, feeling the burn of tears threatening to spill over at the back of my throat. I don't think I could have stayed in that infirmary one minute longer, so I summoned up all my strength and pulled myself up, snatching my hand away from where Christian had gripped it tightly.

"I can't - I-I'm sorry, I think I need to be alone." Somehow I managed to mumble those words past the numbness in my lips.

"But, your Majesty, if you do not come with me immediately-" Larae begun, but that was when I felt something break within me.

"No!" I practically screamed, "I can't take this. I need to- I need to go." Storming out of the room, tearing down through the numerous hallways, feeling hot tears running down my cheeks.

When I finally reached my own bedroom, and slammed the door shut behind me, locking it completely, I felt some relief come. But not enough. The tears wouldn't stop, and I sank down onto the floor, with my hands burying my face, and completely broke apart.


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter Three

The dream began vividly. I glanced up through a tangle of hair and saw that I was in a beautiful meadow, surrounded by flowers so colorful and blooming, I couldn't help but stare at them before I turned my eyes toward the sky. The sun was slowly inching its way toward the horizon and the light didn't seem to bother my eyes as it would have if it were real, and I greedily absorbed myself in the painlessness of being in the light. The sky was a mixture of all different hues of color: pinks, purples, blues, and oranges - with the meadow stretching endlessly into the distance within the glow. I felt at peace and I knew without a doubt that this was what heaven was supposed to be like. It was as I was beginning to lose myself in the serenity that I heard a magical laughter coming from further away. As if the sounds had become tangible, bright blue bubbles flew in the air above my head. An unexplainable urge to follow the mesmerizing voice hit me and I began to run, my feet carrying me where I needed to go, soundlessly flying over the grass.

As if materialized out of nowhere, a woman stood a few paces away in the grass. She wore a dress made out of silky purple material that seemed to move along with her movements. Her long thick blonde curls fell heavily to her waist and she had a shine around her as if all the lights of the world clung to her with a glowing radiance and her eyes sparkled. If someone later would have asked me to describe this woman upon wakening, I wouldn't have been able to tell them any exact details, not the curve of her jaw nor the angle of her eyes, just that she was without a doubt the most beautiful woman I had ever laid eyes on. Even though logically I knew that I had never seen her before, I felt a peculiar sense of familiarity at seeing her, as if being reunited with a close friend.

"Merry meet Lissa," she grinned at me with a set of perfect teeth, and I felt my tips tug up into an uncontrollable smile.

"Hello," I said a bit shyly, curious as to who this extraordinary woman could be.

"You don't know who I am, do you?" the mysterious woman asked with an openly curious and amused expression on her face, "Although we have often talked in the past."

"I-I'm sorry," I let my eyes drop from hers, feeling too overwhelmed confused.

"Don't be scared, my daughter, you will understand everything in due time," she answered, staring deeply into my eyes with kindness and transparency, "I am Nyx, although that is not my only name."

A slight gasp escaped through my closed lips, "the vampyre goddess?"

"I am she," she bowed her head in acknowledgement, "although I do not feel bounded to being the goddess of just one race. Anyone who seeks my guidance and love will always be welcomed with open arms." At she said this, she spread both her arms wide, inviting me closer, and I instinctively moved closer into her presence.

Suddenly I was hit by an overpowering wave of emotions, and I fell on my knees onto the ground in front of her. I felt tears begin to run down my cheeks, my fingers hastily moving to rub them away before she could see.

Nyx glided over to me and touched my wet cheek with her fingertips, "Do not be ashamed of showing your emotions, Vasilisa. The world has taught us to bury our true feelings deep inside, but there is great power in experiencing the world in a deeper way than most people do. So tell me, why are you crying? "

Nyx sounded so motherly and concerned that my heart opened itself up and the words managed to come out of my mouth before I could stop them, "I'm just so scared. I-I'm not ready to die or to bear more burdens than I have already done so." I let my tears run freely and bowed my head completely toward the ground, "I don't know how to be queen. I'm so worried I will make horrible mistakes. I wanted to be happy and free and now I also want to rule justly. There are so many things I want to change but I'm scared of how other people will react. And Ro-" my voice broke as I tried to utter that last word. I shook my head and continued to weep silently. I felt as Nyx lay a warm, comforting hand over my shoulder.

"You're worried of failing in your vows to your people and the friends you care about deeply, especially Rose?"

I nodded.

"Don't be afraid," her magical voice seemed to soothe me even before she continued, "although the Moroi have long been known as being the weaker race, you are so much stronger than you give yourself credit for, even if you don't see it in yourself just yet. Remember that strength isn't just measured in the physicality which a person possesses but the inner strength which empowers one to move on even if all else fails." At this Nyx paused for a few seconds before continuing, "My sweet daughter, I give you my solemn oath that wherever you go, and whatever your fate may be, I will be there with you." As she finished speaking, a bright silver glow seemed to flow from her body into mine and I shuddered at the warmth it provided.

I stared up into the eyes of this mysterious goddess, speechless at her kindness and understanding, "T-Thank you, Nyx."

As I felt my sadness and fear begin to ebb away, the dream also began to fade, slowly.

I managed to catch her last words and her magical laughter before I awoke to a new beginning:

"_Always." _


End file.
